Zero no Tsukaima Gets Final Series as TV Anime

The wraparound jacket band on the second volume of Yukari Higa's Zero no Tsukaima Chevalier manga is announcing this month that the final series of the Zero no Tsukaima light novel franchise has been green-lit as a television anime. Zero no Tsukaima Kessakusen, selected episodes from previous Zero no Tsukaima anime, will air this October. The story follows a budding magician, nicknamed "Louise the Zero" due to her initial ineptness at magic, who accidentally summoned a boy from Earth as her familiar.

Noboru Yamaguchi's original light novels have already inspired three television anime series. Yamaguchi has been writing the final series arc of the light novels, and he had planned to end the light novels next year. However, he was diagnosed with cancer in February, and he decided to focus first on a successful surgery and recovery instead of finishing the 21st and second-to-last volume this month.

Geneon Entertainment (USA) Inc. released the first anime series on DVD in North America. Later, Funimation acquired the rights after Geneon stopped distributing anime in North America. Both companies' releases of the first anime series are out of print.

Zero no Tsukaima light novelist Noboru Yamaguchi reported on Sunday that the previously revealed fourth season of the anime adaptation is slated for next year. He had reported earlier this week that he left the hospital without incident after his surgery this month for cancer.

The official website for the Zero no Tsukaima anime franchise confirmed on Tuesday that the fourth and final series will be titled Zero no Tsukaima F. It also confirmed that Zero no Tsukaima F will premiere next January on Chiba TV, AT-X, and other stations. Zero no Tsukaima Kessakusen, selected episodes from previous Zero no Tsukaima anime, will air this October. The November issue of Media Factory's Monthly Comic Alive magazine also published an ad for the final anime series on Tuesday, but with a misprinted premiere date of "January 2011."

Noboru Yamaguchi, the original Zero no Tsukaima light novelist, had reported last month that the previously revealed fourth season of the anime adaptation is slated for next year. He had also reported in August that he left the hospital without incident after his surgery that month for cancer. He had been writing the final series arc of the light novels, and had planned to end the light novels next year before his cancer diagnosis and subsequent operation.

The official website for Zero no Tsukaima F, the fourth and final television anime series based on Noboru Yamaguchi's light novel series, announced on Sunday that the anime will premiere on January 7 on the anime channel AT-X. The website also announced more of the cast, beyond the previously annnounced main cast led by Rie Kugimiya.